Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Calling All Spartan Fans
I need your help with this one. Brady is now doing the OH-IO Cheer. Nick says OH and Brady follows with IO. I've been trying to get him to say Go Green and MSU, but it's just not happening. I'm fearing I've lost him to the Buckeyes. Any ideas of other cheers or brain washing mechanisms to help my cause?
Monday, December 14, 2009
In Light of the Holiday Season, I Couldn't Resist
The Tablecloth
-things happen for a reason
Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.
The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone
the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover the hole in the front
wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.
By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was
trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for
the next bus 45 minutes later.
She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and
it covered up the entire problem area.
Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week.He was captured, sent to prison and she never saw her husband or her home again.
The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That was the least he could do. She lived on the other
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.
What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.
One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one
that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years between.
The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.
True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid who says God does work in mysterious ways.
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
along your way. His love is always with you. His promises are true, and when we give Him all our cares we know He will see us through.
So when the road you're traveling seems difficult at best, just remember I'm here praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on to those you want God to bless and remember to send it back to the one who asked God to bless you first.
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need Take 60
seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply say the following small prayer for the person
who sent this to you.
Father, God, bless all my friends and family in what ever it is that You know they may be needing this day! May their lives be full of Your peace, prosperity and power as they seek to have a closer relationship with You. Amen.
-things happen for a reason
Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason
The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.
T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.
The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone
the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover the hole in the front
wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.
By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was
trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for
the next bus 45 minutes later.
She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and
it covered up the entire problem area.
Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week.He was captured, sent to prison and she never saw her husband or her home again.
The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That was the least he could do. She lived on the other
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.
What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.
One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one
that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years between.
The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.
True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid who says God does work in mysterious ways.
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
along your way. His love is always with you. His promises are true, and when we give Him all our cares we know He will see us through.
So when the road you're traveling seems difficult at best, just remember I'm here praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on to those you want God to bless and remember to send it back to the one who asked God to bless you first.
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need Take 60
seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply say the following small prayer for the person
who sent this to you.
Father, God, bless all my friends and family in what ever it is that You know they may be needing this day! May their lives be full of Your peace, prosperity and power as they seek to have a closer relationship with You. Amen.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Outside Outside Outside
(Brady loves to do his chores, he sweeps and takes out the trash)
Brady is by far happiest when he is outside. He'll repeat it about 50 times or until you cave in and let the boy out. Here's some outside photos from our Ohio trip.
The Boys
When we were in Ohio we got a chance to see Laci, Matt and Maxton. Here's some photos of the boys. Thanks for meeting us guys, we miss you!
Zoo Lights in Columbus
Grammy took Brady, Brody, Ashley, Terri and I to the Columbus Zoo. Here's some photos from the festivities.Brady and Brody
Brady and Brody started off playing to nicely together and then Brady decided to put him in a headlock, of course...that didn't go over so well...Golf Club
Brady is obsessed with golf clubs and Nick's grandpa likes to modify them so they are a great pair. Here's some photos of Brady playing with Grandpa Kline's golf clubs.My Heart Melted Tonight
Tonight I heard the best words a mom can hear from her son, "Love Mama." Brady looked at me tonight when I was putting him to bed and said "Love Mama" and made a mmmm sound and gave me a big hug and a kiss. It was the sweetest thing ever. It was a highlight for me, that's for sure. I didn't even have to prompt him, he did it all on his own. Love that little boy.
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Man of the House
I couldn't resist, Brady looked just like his dad, lounging in his flannel pj pants and watching TV, had to snap some shots of it. It was all over though when he realized mom was watching :-).
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The business man
We were trying to figure out what Thanksgiving day outfit to bring for Brady so we put him in this one. As soon as we did he ran and got the phone and started talking on it. He's such a business man already :-). Love the tie.
Where's Brady????
Brady threw his basketball behind the bushes and then thought it was fun to play hide and seek. He was laughing hysterically through the shrubs. Too cute.
Daddy's Little Buckeye
Daddy got Brady dressed for the day and guess what he chose, Buckeye gear. Of course it was the OSU v UoM game so I don't blame him. Don't worry though Sparty fans, Brady is still a Spartan!Saturday, November 21, 2009
Literacy Festival
I had so much fun today working at our inaugural literacy festival. At first I wasn't excited about working on a Saturday, but when I saw the area I was going to I knew it was for a good cause. The festival took place in Coachella at the Coachella Library. Coming from a small poor town in Northern Michigan, it teaches you to appreciate your surroundings and what you've been given, because even though you don't have the best, there are other places that have it worse and Coachella is one of those places. It amazed me how tiny the library was and what little resources they had. The saddest part was the school across the street. It made Manton look like a state-of-the art rich school. Those of you from Manton know this is not even close to the case. What truly engaged me about this event was not the over 400 children and families that came out to get free books and enjoy cultural entertainment, but the conversation I had with an 11 year old 5th grade girl. She was brilliant, funny, smart and adorable. She also made me thankful for my family and friends as she spoke so highly of her parents and how they support her and how she wants to continue to make them proud and go to a university and become a teacher. When I asked her what grade she wanted to teach she started off with pre-school, but then said that she thought it would be hard to get them to settle down at that age so she wanted to teach kindergarten. She said she wanted to teach this grade because all the kids want to be inspired. She said they all just want to learn and I want to help them learn. She said much more in our 45 minute conversation but that really stuck with him. She also thanked us for being there and giving out free books. It was too cute and a lot of fun. One of the better days of work for me.
The jealous man...
Last weekend Aunt Mindy, Uncle Chris and baby Ethan came over for a visit. At first Brady was very lovey with him, kissing him and hugging him and then he started to get jealous. He wasn't too sure when he saw mom holding baby Ethan. This is one of the photos of Brady showing mom love since she was holding Ethan. I love that he's a mama's boy.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Murphy's Laws for your enjoyment...
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.
Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view.
Two wrongs are only the beginning.
If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and
circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
Every solution breeds new problems..
If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then..
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
Exceptions prove the rule ... and wreck the budget.
Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.
If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.
Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Trust everybody ... then cut the cards.
Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
Everything takes longer than you think..
Two wrongs are only the beginning.
To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.
Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view.
Two wrongs are only the beginning.
If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and
circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
Every solution breeds new problems..
If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then..
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
Exceptions prove the rule ... and wreck the budget.
Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.
If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.
Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Trust everybody ... then cut the cards.
Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
Everything takes longer than you think..
Two wrongs are only the beginning.
Fall
My sister took this photo at her house in Muskegon, MI. It makes me both happy and sad. Happy to see the seasons, but sad I can't be there to see it in person. Fall is my favorite season in Michigan. Even if you're from Ohio, you have to at least appreciate Northern Michigan for its beauty :-).
Jack
Here are some photos of my nephew Jack. He is doing much better after his surgery and so far things are looking up. Thank you to everyone for your love, support and prayers. We all appreciate it.
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